According to documents released on Tuesday, three Washington state police officers who were cleared of criminal charges in the 2020 death of Manuel Ellis, will each receive $500,000 to leave the Tacoma Police Department.
Ellis was a Black man who was shocked, beaten and restrained facedown on a sidewalk on March 3, 2020 as he pleaded with police saying he couldn’t breathe.
In a trial that spanned over two months, Timothy Rankine, 34, and his co-defendants Matthew Collins, 40, and Christopher Burbank, 38, were acquitted in December. Rankine faced manslaughter charges, while Collins and Burbank were charged with manslaughter and second-degree murder.
The City of Tacoma released the “voluntary separation” agreements with the officers on Tuesday, at the same time as Police Chief Avery Moore announced that none of the officers violated the use-of-force policy on March 3, 2020. Additionally, it was revealed that Collins had violated a courtesy policy.
Advocates for Ellis were outraged upon learning about the city’s agreements with the officers.
More on the death of Manuel Ellis and the officers acquitted.
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